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India - Hyderabad - Birla Temple and Shilparamam Market

We visited Birla Mandir in Hyderabad as the sun was beginning to set on our first day in India. Birla Mandir is a gleaming white Hindu temple. Visitors are required to take their shoes off before ascending a number of staircases to pay homage to various deities.

Photographs were not allowed inside the temple but it was worth the trek to people watch and enjoy sweeping views of Hyderabad. The place was packed. We descended the steps again to return to the car park.

Hyderabad was bathed in a hazy light as dusk set in.

On the return to our hotel, we stopped at Shilparamam Arts and Crafts market.

There is a small entry fee (<20 rupees) to get in which ensures that the majority of touts stay outside. It was a different world once we paid our fee and went through the gate. Outside was a pocket of beggars, street children, and auto-rickshaw drivers hoping for a fare.

Inside, we were able to shop at our (relative) leisure without interruption. Of course, we still had to be rather oblique is checking out various items because as soon as we showed any interest at all, the shopkeeper would try to engage us in a purchase. We also had to negotiate hard because there is an inevitable 'tourist tax' on the price of things. The shopkeepers will often quote prices 2-3x what they would charge a local.

I emerged with a couple of chiffon scarves. I asked a colleague what she would have paid for the scarf and she told me about 200 rupees. That's what I paid so I felt pretty good for getting a decent price. For Americans, it sometimes feels awkward to bargain (at least for me) but it's an absolute must in India.